UPDATED: Lowry receives injection, not likely to pick up a baseball till April; plus other team news

Noah Lowry traveled to see Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., yesterday and received what’s called a trigger point injection in his trapezius (upper back/shoulder) area.

UPDATE: I talked to Lowry about his condition and outlook. Fresh info follows.

Lowry returned to the club today. He will be revaluated this weekend and the rough plan is to rest him for at least a couple weeks before he would begin throwing again.

Lowry said his scapula area has been tight even before he reported to camp and it ultimately locked up on him. He blamed himself, saying he should have listened to his body and dialed it back a little earlier.

“The whole thing is on my shoulders,” Lowry said. “I just wanted to be ready for opening day, and that may have been too much. Obviously, it was, and it’s going to cost me even more time. I should’ve backed off but I knew my timetable for getting ready for opening day would be tough, especially after all that time off last year. I knew I’d need extra work.

“It’s a lesson learned. At this point, it’s not going to matter. Opening day is out of the question for me. So this is it. This is the final step. It’s going to take time and I have to come to grips with that.”

Lowry didn’t pitch last season because of multiple arm issues. First he had surgery to treat compressed and damaged nerves in his forearm. Then he had elbow surgery to shave down a bone spur.

A lot of pitchers never come back from multiple arm issues after missing so much time, but Lowry is confident he will be able to resume his career.

“I promise you that,” Lowry said. “Because of the way my arm felt in the offseason. I felt strong and young again.”

Andrews reviewed Lowry’s MRI results and told him everything looks structurally sound and he and the team are going about things the right way. He said the injection should allow his scap area to quiet down and he’s prepared to take as much time as he needs.

Lowry will begin the season on the disabled list, and when ready, the Giants can send him to Triple-A Fresno for a rehab assignment. If Lowry needs more time past the rehab window, that won’t be a problem. He’s got one minor league option remaining.

“At this point, it’s safe to say we just want to get it right,” Lowry said.

–In other morning news, Pablo Sandoval doesn’t appear to be incapacitated one day after taking a bad-hop grounder to the mouth. Sandoval chipped a tooth and had others loosened but he is listed as one of three designated hitters the Giants plan to employ tomorrow against the White Sox at Glendale. He’s listed as the starting third baseman Saturday against the Padres.

–Jonathan Sanchez sighting. He’s back from the WBC. I mistakenly wrote in this morning’s Giants notebook that he’ll start Saturday. He’ll actually go Sunday.

–Batting second for the White Sox today: Anthony John Pierzynski.

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.